FOR THOSE IN SEARCH OF AB-SOLUTE PERFECTION.

Byline: Ivy Dai Staff Writer

Guillermo Escalante has great abs.

Washboard abs. The six-pack. The kind of abs we all want.

How did he get them? Escalante works out and runs four to five times a week for about an hour. He burns 4,500 calories a day and maintains his weight by eating six meals daily.

He starts when he wakes up at 5 a.m. with a protein drink. The rest of his daily meals include a second breakfast of an egg white omelet and oatmeal; chicken, rice, veggies and a protein shake for lunch; steak and veggies for dinner.

He snacks on a mixture of cottage cheese, peanut butter and protein powder. Escalante's friends think this concoction looks far from appetizing, but he loves it - it tastes like pudding, he claims.

Some people think his routine is obsessive. But that's how Escalante stays fit and keeps his weight in control. It's also a major reason he has six-pack abs.

``Everybody wants to have that result, but they don't want to do the work,'' said Escalante, a personal trainer and co-owner of World Gym in West Covina.

``It's tough to do. You have to make sacrifices.''

The six-pack has become the symbol of peak fitness. Belly-baring came back big with pop stars like Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera. R&B singer Usher and rapper 50 Cent also love to show off their ripped midsections.

We haven't seen this many bare midriffs since the '80s, said Faye Wachs, sports sociology professor at Cal Poly Pomona.

``It's a sociological phenomenon, she said. ``It's related to class privilege. It's difficult and expensive to get a six-pack. Some people can get liposuction and buy it.''

How difficult? People could harm themselves in pursuit of that as a goal. Too many crunches and obsessive dieting can lead to brittle bones and misaligned spinal cords.

Overworking ab muscles can lead to imbalanced muscle development, which will eventually cause lower back pain, said exercise physiology expert and Cal Poly Pomona professor Michael Liang.

Doing hundreds of sit-ups can also be harmful for your spine. Liang says the repetitive movement of crunches can weaken the discs between the lumber vertebrae in your lower back. Liang knows what he is talking about. A former gymnast, Liang chipped a lower vertebrae after years of rigorous abdominal training. Today, he cannot perform a normal crunch without pain. To avoid injury, he suggests doing crunches slowly so your spine retains it's natural S-curve.

``The most important indicator of health today is not a six-pack,'' Liang said. ``It's about having balanced muscular strength and musical endurance. And good cardiovascular fitness and flexibility.''

Liang said that lots of fit people have a six-pack, but a layer of fat covers the muscles.

Escalante agrees.

``On most occasions, it's not that people don't have the developed abdomen, it's just that they have to get rid of the layer of fat on top,'' Escalante said. ``Seventy-five percent of being toned is the diet.''

Men usually need to get down to between 5 percent and 11 percent body fat - women have to get to 17 percent or less body fat for that six-pack to show, Liang said. However, dipping below 11 percent body fat for men and 17 percent body fat for women can have health consequences, according to Liang.

``All human beings require fat,'' he said. ``The hormone estrogen needs to be carried by fat for women. Calcium needs to be promoted by vitamin D, and D is carried by fat.''

Fat is especially important for women, who have about 30 percent body fat on average. Without the proper amount of body fat, calcium cannot be metabolized, which results in brittle bones, Liang said.

The transformation of six-pack abs into a fitness fetish is an example of how out-of-control America's cosmetic obsessions are, according to Paul Campos, author of ``The Obesity Myth: Why America's Obsession With Weight Is Hazardous to Your Health'' (Gotham; $25)

Striving for a six-pack is ludicrous, Campos said.

``A lot of it is genetically driven, and there's nothing anybody can do about it,'' he said. ``Throw away your scale and find something more important to obsess over than what your stomach muscles look like.''

In the end, no matter how much effort some people put into that six-pack goal, many of them will never have it. There are genetic barriers: Some don't have the proper muscle structure to get that nice, rounded look, and others tend to carry fat in their midsections no matter how much exercising they do.

And while washboard abs might not be the best indicator of good health, it looks good.

``I haven't done abs in 10 years, but I have a six pack,'' said Carl Farwell, 48. ``I would do 400 situps every other day when I was younger, but I've always been real lean.''

People like Farwell are genetically blessed with low body fat, and have never struggled with their midsections.

Everyone's battle with the bulge is different, so take a step back and think about why you really want that six-pack, Liang suggests. If you're convinced you won't be happy without it, get a physical trainer to make sure you're on the right track, he said. Make sure to eat right and engage in cardiovascular activity four to five times a week. Happy exercising!

Fitness resources

American College of Sports Medicine (acsm.org)

National Osteoporosis Foundation (nof.org)

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